http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/job/passport/experiential.

html

Community-Connected Experiential Learning

A POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR ONTARIO SCHOOLS, KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 12

Draft for Consultation, Winter 2016

Contents
Preface
Introduction

1. Community-Connected Experiential Learning: Purpose, Rationale, and Considerations for

Implementation

1. Background and Rationale

2. Definition and Goals

3. The Experiential Learning Cycle

4. Creating Community Connections

5. Leadership in Support of Experiential Learning

6. Connections to Education and Career/Life Planning

7. The Role of Technology in Community-Connected Experiential Learning

8. Assessment and Evaluation of Community-Connected Experiential Learning

2. The Policy Framework for Community-Connected Experiential Learning, Kindergarten to Grade 12

1. The Expanded Role of Community-Connected Experiential Learning

2. The Design of the Framework

3. Community-Connected Experiential Learning Linked to the Ontario Curriculum

1. Key Components

2. Cooperative Education: Community-Connected Experiential Learning Linked to the Curriculum

and Eligible for Credit

1. The Cooperative Education Program

2. The Stand-Alone Cooperative Education Course

4. Community-Connected Experiential Learning beyond the Curriculum

1. Experiential Learning Assessment and Recognition (ELAR): Community-Connected Experiential

Learning beyond the Curriculum and Eligible for Credit

1. The ELAR Process

Appendix: Characteristics of Experiential Learning
Glossary
References
 The complete report is available as a PDF (963 KB)

Preface
This consultation document sets out a proposed policy framework for community-connected
experiential learning in Ontario schools, from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Consultations will occur in winter 2016 and will provide opportunities for a broad range of
stakeholders, from educators to business and community organizations, non-profit agencies, and
postsecondary institutions, to provide feedback that will inform the further development of the
policy. Stakeholders will be asked to consider the following questions:*

From your organization's perspective:

 What are some current opportunities for experiential learning that you can connect to the
proposed policy framework?

 What are some innovative opportunities for experiential learning that might be possible
under the proposed policy framework?

 How can you support students, during their experiential learning opportunity, in developing
the skills needed for success in the future, such as critical thinking, problem solving,
creativity, communication, and collaboration?

 What are some of the challenges or barriers to providing these experiential learning
opportunities for all learners? What are the solutions?

 How can the ministry support your efforts in providing experiential learning opportunities for
all students, as outlined in the policy framework?
*Feedback in response to these questions may be sent to: studentsuccesspolicybranch@ontario.ca.

The final policy document, which will be developed with the benefit of feedback from the
consultations, will supersede Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning:
Policies and Procedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 2000. It will include sections that detail
policy and procedures for: the revised cooperative education program; a new stand-alone
cooperative education course; credit recognition for students' demonstrated acquisition of skills and
knowledge through community-connected experiential learning beyond the curriculum; and
enhanced and new opportunities for short- and medium-term experiential learning for students
from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Introduction
This document, Community-Connected Experiential Learning, outlines the role of experiential
learning in helping to achieve Ontario's vision for education, as described in Achieving Excellence:
A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014). That document
articulates a vision and plan of action for the province based on a commitment to the success and
well-being of every student and child. Providing our learners with opportunities to develop the
knowledge and skills that will lead them to become personally successful, economically productive,
and actively engaged citizens remains at the core of Ontario's education system.
Key themes in Achieving Excellence include commitments to provide students from Kindergarten to
Grade 12 with "a wide array of opportunities both inside and outside school that are compelling and
contribute to their success" (p. 4); to foster student engagement and achievement by "creating
more relevant, applied and innovative learning experiences that spark students' curiosity and
inspire them to follow their passions" (p. 4); and to provide students with "more flexibility and
ownership in their learning, allowing them, for example, to determine whether they want to spend
more time on e-learning or on learning outside of the classroom" (p. 6).
The action plans outlined in Achieving Excellence underline the importance of expanding "learning
opportunities outside the school to include community-based, civic, humanitarian, scientific, and
artistic activities, as well as cross-cultural and international experiences" (p. 7). One of the ways of
achieving this vision is to "partner with community organizations and business to provide students
with more experiential learning opportunities" (p. 19). The involvement of and partnerships with
community organizations and businesses are essential to the new and enhanced experiential
learning opportunities envisaged for all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
This document outlines policy, procedures, and mechanisms for deepening and broadening the role
of experiential learning for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. This new policy framework
reaffirms the Ontario government's commitment to provide students with educational experiences
and opportunities that strengthen the sense of engagement and motivation to learn that are
foundational to all students' success.

Section 1 of the document provides information on the background, purpose, rationale, and
considerations for implementation associated with an expansion of experiential learning connected
to the community in Ontario schools. Section 2 sets out the design and scope of the new policy
framework in two broad areas of community-connected experiential learning – learning tied to the
curriculum, and learning beyond the curriculum. In both areas, strategies are described for
enhancing existing experiential learning programs, providing new experiential learning
opportunities for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and enabling students in secondary
schools to earn credit for experiential learning.

Contents

1. Community-Connected Experiential Learning:

Purpose, Rationale, and Considerations for
Implementation
1.1 Background and Rationale
Early experiential learning theories emerged from an effort to have students actively engaging in
their learning. These theories proposed that students would learn by doing and, by applying
knowledge to experience, develop new knowledge and skills. Rather than simply being presented
with abstract concepts, students would be "immersed" in learning (Lewis & Williams, 1994).
Experiential learning is not simply learning by doing; mere participation in a set of learning
activities does not make the learning experiential (Chapman, McPhee, & Proudman, 1995). It is the
process of reflecting on an experience, both during and after the experience, extracting meaning
from it, and then applying what has been learned that makes the learning truly experiential for
students.

Experiential learning assists students' learning transfer; that is, it helps students to see the
connections between the course content and its application in other contexts (Lee & Kahnweiler,
2000, cited in Furman & Sibthorp, 2013). It also has psycho-social benefits for students, including
increased self-esteem and engagement in the workplace or school, improved motivation, and
improved social and leadership skills (Canadian Council on Learning, 2009).

Community-connected experiential learning builds on research that indicates that students are
more engaged, more motivated to learn, and more successful when they can connect what they
are learning to situations they care about in their community and in the world. Research has also
found that experiential learning that takes place in the community contributes to the development
of 21st century competencies by "giving opportunities for authentic learning, engaging students
actively, fostering co-operation and collaboration, meeting individual interests, empowering
learners and extending horizons beyond comfort zones" (Furco, 2010, p. 227).

There can be significant benefits to communities in providing experiential learning opportunities for
students. Community partners can take pride in knowing that they are contributing to the
education of children and youth, and to Ontario's future workforce. Involvement in experiential
learning also enables community partners to develop new networks and skills and offers them
opportunities both to mentor and to learn from students.

1.2 Definition and Goals

Community-connected experiential learning is an approach to student learning that provides
students with opportunities to participate actively in experiences connected to a community outside
of school (local, national, or global); reflect on those experiences to derive meaning from them;
and apply their learning to their decisions and actions in various aspects of their lives.

In this document, the term community-connected, rather than community-based, is used,

signalling a shift in emphasis from the physical location of the experiential learning opportunity
to the connection to the community that it can provide. A connection to the community that is
authentic and dynamic is now seen as foundational to the experience and to the learning derived
from it. The community in question can be local, national, or global, and the connection can involve
being physically present (an on-site experience), being present through the use of various
communication technologies (a virtual experience), or a combination of the two
(a blended experience), as illustrated in Figure 1.
The goals of community-connected experiential learning as defined in this document are to provide
and/or recognize learning opportunities with a community that assist students in:

 deepening their understanding of the knowledge and skills within the curriculum and of their life
experiences beyond the curriculum;

 acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to make informed education and career/life choices;

 developing their capacities for deeper learning, including learning for transfer, and helping them
to acquire important 21st century competencies1 (such as critical thinking and problem solving,
communication, and collaboration) so that they have the talent and skills they need to succeed
and lead in the global economy;

 contributing to a local, national, or global community and developing competencies related to

their identity as individuals and as members of their community, society, and the world.
Community-connected experiential learning opportunities enhance the already rich learning
environments of our schools, providing students with alternative ways of engaging in their learning.
As noted in the ministry's education and career/life planning document, Creating Pathways to
Success, it is through these experiences that students "develop confidence in knowing that their
school programs are created with them in mind, that the world beyond school has something to
offer them, and that they have something to offer the world" (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013a,
p. 7).

1.3 The Experiential Learning Cycle

The definition of experiential learning outlined in section 1.2 includes reference to a cycle of
learning that comprises three necessary phases: students participate in community-connected
learning experiences; reflect on those experiences to derive meaning from them; and apply their
learning in various aspects of their lives.2
There are many models that describe the experiential learning cycle. Although there are differences
in how they are depicted and the specific language used to describe them, they all share a common
foundation: they all begin with the student's immersion in an experience. That is, the student is an
active participant in the experience, not merely an observer of it. Secondly, the student thinks
about and/or analyses (reflects upon) the experience, both during the experience and after it, to
make meaning from it and identify what has been learned. It is through a structured reflective
process that students develop new skills, new attitudes, and new ways of thinking (Lewis &
Williams, 1994). Finally, the student applies the learning by using the newly acquired knowledge
and/or skills to inform current and future decisions and actions.
The simplicity of the experiential learning cycle makes it appropriate for students of all ages. By
altering the reflective questions and prompts at each stage of the cycle, educators can adjust the
complexity, focus, and depth of the process to suit the developmental needs of the students.

Experiential learning requires educators to provide explicit instruction in the skills of reflection and
to assist students in developing the habit of looking for the learning that can be drawn from all life
experiences. Reflection is a strategy that develops skills of metacognition – the process of thinking
about one's own thought processes. Metacognition includes the ability to monitor one's own
progress towards achieving a learning goal, a skill that is reinforced in curriculum expectations and
assessment policy (assessment as learning).
The development of a reflective mindset gives students the ability to turn every experience into a
learning experience.

The experiential learning cycle is depicted in Figure 1. Although the "participate-reflect-apply" cycle
appears as a three-stage process, it is not a rigid or strictly sequential process but rather a
dynamic and highly personal one.

Three questions – What?, So what?, and Now what? – are associated with each stage of the
process, respectively, and help to focus students' thinking and drive the process, as follows:
Participate: What? Students are immersed in an experience, acknowledging what they are doing,
what they are thinking, and what they are feeling during the experience.
Reflect: So what? Students think about their experience, guided by reflective questions and
prompts, and identify what they learned as a result of the experience – about themselves, other
people, the world, their opportunities, or the subject of study.
Apply: Now what? Students describe how their learning stimulates further inquiry; how it has
influenced – or may influence – their decisions, opinions, goals, and plans; and what they might do
differently if they have a similar experience in future.

Figure 1. The Experiential Learning Cycle

Source: Adapted from Rolfe, Freshwater, & Jasper, 2001.

1.4 Creating Community Connections
Experiential learning opportunities, as described in this document, must have a connection to a
local, national, or global community outside the school (as shown in Figure 1). Creating and
sustaining authentic community connections is essential in order to provide students with rich
opportunities, appropriate to their age and stage of development, that will deepen their
understanding of the curriculum, inspire them to explore learning beyond the curriculum, and
enable them to apply their learning in varied, engaging environments.

Partnerships can take many forms, with varying degrees of involvement by and benefit to the
partners. This document envisages community partnerships where the goals are shared by all
partners and where the cooperation of all the partners is required for success (Hargreaves & Fullan,
1998; Keith, 1999).

When creating community connections and planning for community partnerships, school and board
staff should be guided by the following considerations:

 All partners should be involved in the planning of the experiential learning opportunity
(students, teachers, and a community mentor or supervisor).

 All parties to the partnership need to understand and consider one another's mission, goals, and
capacity when planning experiential learning opportunities.

 Experiential learning opportunities should be of benefit to all partners.

 Ongoing communication among all parties is critical.

 All parties need to acknowledge and respect one another's expertise.

(Based on Gazley, Bennett, & Littlepage, 2013, p. 575)

Students and parents3 may be a rich source of partnership opportunities. Students may contribute
to the planning of community-connected experiential learning opportunities by providing
preliminary ideas and potential contacts. Parents, too – through their work, experiences, expertise,
and community connections – are a potential source of partnership opportunities.

In identifying potential local, national, or global community partners, schools can also build on
existing links with their local communities and/or create new partnerships.

Educators may consider connecting with school or board advisory committees, industry education
councils, not-for-profit agencies, municipalities, postsecondary institutions, training agencies,
community-living associations, and/or local business organizations. They may also consider
leveraging current partnerships or relationships developed through programs such as community
arts or heritage councils, international development agencies, and board cooperative education and
Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) contacts.

Other educators – both teachers and administrators – may also be able to contribute to the
development of new partnerships through the connections they have developed in the community,
within or beyond their subject specializations. They may even have particular skills and talents,
developed through their educational background and previous experience, that can be leveraged to
provide students with valuable experiential learning opportunities.

 Every year, the students at École secondaire catholique Renaissance in Aurora participate in
a humanitarian trip with Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program, with destinations in
Central America and the Caribbean. These trips provide an excellent international learning
 experience in which students become immersed in the local culture, working as a team and
building homes for those in need.

 Grade 6 students from Conseil scolaire Viamonde participated in a reciprocal exchange

program with students from Rawdon, Quebec. The one-week exchanges in each community,
together with virtual contacts prior to the exchange, allowed the students to discover
different cultures and to reflect on their own lives from a new perspective. The exchange
program provided the students with a memorable and important life experience.

 Students in the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board have the opportunity to learn
from their teacher, who is also a licensed archaeologist. Students may enrol to complete a
five-week authentic excavation project at Fort Willow, a War of 1812 site owned by the
Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority. Participating students can earn two credits –
one in a Grade 12 Canadian history course and one in a Grade 12 interdisciplinary studies
course focusing on archaeology – while learning both in the classroom and at the dig site.
They are also mentored by a university student studying archaeology at Wilfrid Laurier
University.
In some instances, community organizations and businesses might approach the school or board to
find out how they can support students in experiential learning opportunities. These organizations
and businesses might be able to provide elementary and secondary school students with job-
shadowing opportunities or short-term work experience, and/ or with longer-term cooperative
education placements for secondary school students, including students enrolled in the Ontario
Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) or a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program.4 They may
also be able to provide support by collaborating with the school or board to devise and implement a
project or inquiry that would respond to particular student interests and that would benefit both the
student(s) and the organization.

To establish and maintain strong partnerships, it is essential for schools and boards to work
collaboratively with their community partners to ensure that they understand the goals and
benefits of experiential learning, that all partners are supported throughout their participation, and
that their contributions are valued and recognized.

Partnerships must adhere to ministry, board, and school policies and procedures and should be
evaluated on a regular basis to ensure that they provide ongoing benefit for student learning.

 Through a partnership between the Upper Grand District School Board and the Dufferin
County Museum and Archives (DCMA), the Digital Historian Project (DHP) offers students an
authentic experiential learning opportunity in the community. The students, enrolled in
Grade 12 Canadian history, data management, and interdisciplinary studies and Grade 11
Native studies courses, spend nine weeks at the museum working with teachers and
museum staff on a project that involves deep archival research and data gathering to
develop statistical analyses of historical patterns, with a focus on veterans of 20 th century
Canadian conflicts. Several community partners, including the Archives of Ontario (at York
University), the Juno Beach Centre (Canada's Second World War museum in France, with its
head office in Burlington), the Library and Archives of Canada (Ottawa), and the DCMA, have
been integral to the development and implementation of this innovative model of learning.
In 2015, the DHP students were invited by the Juno Beach Centre to be the "official
Canadian Youth Ambassadors" at three commemorative ceremonies marking the seventy-
first anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France.

1.5 Leadership in Support of Experiential Learning

Achieving Excellence recognizes the importance of partnering with the community and educational
leaders to expand the range of rich experiential learning opportunities available to all students. The
development and recognition of experiential learning for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12
requires strong, shared leadership, both formal and informal, at the classroom, school, and board
levels, and from community partners.
The conditions needed to successfully encourage, develop, and promote community-connected
experiential learning opportunities for students must be fostered collaboratively within a culture
that is supportive and welcoming of innovation. The voices and expertise of all involved in the
experiential learning process, including students, must be valued, and promising practices must be
recognized, facilitated, and promoted.

Two critical questions for educators to consider are as follows:

1. What are the conditions and supports required to provide students with multiple and varied
experiential learning opportunities from Kindergarten to Grade 12?

2. What is my role in creating and sustaining those conditions?

In developing answers to these questions, educational leaders work with all stakeholders, including
business and community partners, to:

 build a collaborative process that ensures that all voices are heard;

 create and articulate a shared vision of experiential learning, designed to enhance student
learning through clearly stated, achievable goals and to address program needs;

 create alignment and coherence among the experiential learning policy framework; the policy
governing the education and career/ life planning program in Ontario schools, articulated
in Creating Pathways to Success; policies outlined in the Kindergarten program document and
the Ontario curriculum documents; and other ministry policies and initiatives;
 ensure the provision of enabling structures (e.g., flexibility in scheduling and timetabling to
accommodate experiential learning opportunities) and the allocation of the necessary resources
available within the school and board;

 develop strategies and structures to encourage individuals, businesses, and community

organizations to become partners in providing experiential learning opportunities;

 provide embedded professional learning opportunities for educators, parents, and community
partners to support their understanding and incorporation of experiential learning as an
effective approach to learning and teaching;

 develop communication strategies that ensure that students, parents, teachers, and community
members are aware of and encouraged to participate in experiential learning opportunities
offered by the school and board;

 incorporate the development, implementation, and evaluation of experiential learning

opportunities in school and board planning (such as development and implementation strategies
undertaken by the Education and Career/Life Planning Program Advisory Committee and
processes related to the School Effectiveness Framework [SEF], the Board Improvement Plan
for Student Achievement [BIPSA], and the School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement
[SIPSA]).

1.6 Connections to Education and Career/Life Planning

As outlined in Creating Pathways to Success: An Education and Career/ Life Planning Program for
Ontario Schools(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013a), all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12
participate in an education and career/life planning program. The program is based on a four-step
inquiry process built on four questions (see Figure 2) that are linked to the four areas of learning in
education and career/life planning – Knowing Yourself; Exploring Opportunities; Making Decisions
and Setting Goals; and Achieving Goals and Making Transitions.

Figure 2. The Education and Career/Life Planning Framework

– A Four-Step Inquiry Process

Source: Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013a, p. 13.

Experiential learning provides rich, authentic opportunities for students to develop the skills and
knowledge associated with education and career/life planning. Through these opportunities,
students come to see the connections between their learning in school and their lives beyond
school and acquire the tools they need to make decisions, set goals, and develop plans to achieve
those goals. Students document, reflect on, and consolidate their learning in their "All About Me"
portfolio (Grades 1 to 6) or Individual Pathways Plan (IPP; Grades 7 to 12).

Parents have an important role in supporting their children in both education and career/life
planning and experiential learning. Ongoing communication about their children's interests,
challenges, and aspirations involves parents as informed and active partners in their children's
education. When parents become familiar with the education and career/life planning program and
the inquiry process and encourage their children to participate in community-connected
experiential learning opportunities, they help them become competent, confident career/life
planners.

Given the potential of experiential learning to support students in their education and career/life
planning program, schools may wish to incorporate the development of community-connected
experiential learning opportunities into the work of the Education and Career/Life Planning Advisory
Committee described in section 6.2 of Creating Pathways to Success.

 In the Waterloo Region District School Board, students in Grade 11 and 12 computer studies
or communications technology courses developed and created a "mobile" educational app to
meet the needs of Grade 5 and 6 student "clients". Community industry mentors shared
their expertise in project management, developing quality applications, and satisfying client
needs. The project focused on the application of the curriculum in an authentic learning
experience as well as on development of 21st century competencies, including skills and
knowledge in collaboration; communication; critical, entrepreneurial, and creative thinking;
and problem solving. In addition, students explored entrepreneurial careers and science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Both elementary and secondary
 students were able to document and record their Apps4Learning journey in their "All About
Me" portfolio or IPP, using digital portfolios, blogs, videos, and journal writing. Student
learning culminated in an Apps4Learning Convention where the apps developed by students
were presented and shared with community partners, parents, and educators.

1.7 The Role of Technology in Community-Connected

Experiential Learning
Current technology can significantly expand and enrich the experiential learning opportunities
available to students.

Innovative technologies allow for more equitable access to experiential learning opportunities by
removing barriers to participation that may have stood in the way of some students, including
those living in remote areas and those with special education needs. Communication technologies
can connect students with experts, mentors, and peers anywhere in the world, providing increased
opportunities for them to communicate and collaborate with others who share their interests and/
or who can support and enhance their learning. Such authentic learning experiences help students
see the relevance of what they are learning by connecting it to the world beyond the school. This
heightened sense of relevance fosters student engagement and supports students' commitment to
learning.

The prominence of mobile digital tools in the daily lives of many students is already having a
profound effect on how students obtain information, communicate with others, and generally
interact with the world. Students have enthusiastically embraced these tools. This reality
challenges and provides an opportunity for educators to develop innovative strategies that use
these digital tools for the delivery of experiential learning opportunities. It also enables educators
to expand the range of individuals and organizations in the wider community (physical and virtual)
that can play a role in supporting experiential learning.

 Grade 7 and 8 students from École St-Denis in Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-
Ontarioconnected with students in Belgium and Singapore, communicating via Skype. The
students learned about other cultures – the lifestyle, schooling, and experiences of other
students their age in other parts of the world.
 Since 2010, the Foundation for Student Science and Technology (FSST) has been partnering
with co-op teachers in more than twelve school boards to deliver the Ontario Student
Science and Technology Online Research Co-op. This program explores the principles and
practices of independent, inquiry-based research. FSST matches secondary school students
with top researchers to work on research projects and be immersed in professional online
communications and work environments. The one- or two-credit co-op program is a
collaborative development between the FSST and the federal Science and Technology
Cluster to prepare emerging scientists, researchers, managers, and leaders for future
careers in science and technology. The online format of the learning makes it accessible to
all students, including those who require more flexible schedules and those living in remote
areas. The research is reviewed, edited, and published in the Journal of Student Science and
Technology.

1.8 Assessment and Evaluation of Community-Connected

Experiential Learning
The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Effective
assessment, evaluation, and reporting practices lead to improvement of learning for all students.
To improve student outcomes, assessment and evaluation procedures and practices must align
with the principles outlined in Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario
Schools (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010).
Student success in all community-connected experiential learning opportunities requires the
establishment of clear learning goals and success criteria that are tied to the expectations of the
learning opportunity. The learning goals should be established collaboratively by the student and
teacher, and, whenever possible, the success criteria should be co-constructed by the student,
teacher, and community mentor or supervisor of the experiential learning opportunity. The learning
goals and success criteria form the basis for descriptive feedback from the teacher, the mentor or
supervisor, peers, and the student, as well as for the evaluation of the student's learning from the
experience by the teacher, with input from the mentor or supervisor.

By its very nature, community-connected experiential learning provides rich opportunities for
students to acquire knowledge and skills in a variety of ways, and this richness should be reflected
in the assessment and evaluation of student learning. In the experiential learning cycle, the
integration of assessment for and as learning into the experiential learning approach correlates to
improved student outcomes. When determining a grade, educators should consider evidence of
student learning gleaned through conversation, observation, and the completion of products or
performances. Gathering evidence of student learning from multiple and varied sources ensures
that evaluation will be both valid and reliable and will most accurately reflect the learning that has
occurred through the experiential learning opportunity.

Contents

2. The Policy Framework for Community-Connected

Experiential Learning, Kindergarten to Grade 12
2.1 The Expanded Role of Community-Connected Experiential
Learning
In promoting an expanded role for community-connected experiential learning for Ontario students
in Kindergarten to Grade 12, the framework:

 focuses on what students learn and how that learning is demonstrated and assessed;

 identifies the essential characteristics of community-connected experiential learning (see

the Appendix); and

 considers new structures that can support the development of community-connected

experiential learning and incorporate both informal and formal recognition of that learning.
The policy framework builds on current successful practices, as reflected in Cooperative Education
and Other Forms of Experiential Learning (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2000), and provides for
an enhanced community-connected experiential learning program that:
 offers all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 a broader range of choices of learning
environments connected to a variety of communities;

 emphasizes student-directed/co-constructed learning opportunities (i.e., where students play a

significant role in the design of their learning opportunities, in collaboration with teachers and
community mentors or supervisors);

 places increased emphasis on an inquiry approach (i.e., where students' questions, ideas, and
observations guide the learning experience);

 differentiates experiences to meet students' particular learning needs and strengths;

 structures learning opportunities in ways that reflect the experiential learning cycle (participate,
reflect, apply);

 supports students in developing the knowledge and skills outlined in the four-step inquiry
process of the education and career/life planning program; and

 recognizes and supports planned and incidental learning through student-directed experiences
in the local, national, or global community.

2.2 The Design of the Framework

The policy framework encompasses two broad areas:

 community-connected experiential learning that is specifically linked to the Ontario curriculum

(outlined in section 2.3);

 community-connected experiential learning that extends beyond the Ontario curriculum

(outlined in section 2.4).
Within each of these areas of experiential learning, the policy framework provides for short- and
medium-term opportunities for elementary and secondary students as well as credit-earning
opportunities, as illustrated in Figure 3 and as described in further detail in sections 2.3 and 2.4,
respectively.

Figure 3. The K−12 Community-Connected Experiential

Learning Policy Framework
2.3 Community-Connected Experiential Learning Linked to
the Ontario Curriculum
Community-connected experiential learning can be part of teaching and learning in all Ontario
classrooms, from Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Experiential learning connected to a community provides teachers with an opportunity to "partner

with their students in deep learning tasks characterised by exploration, connectedness and
broader, real-world purposes" (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014, p. 7), thereby enabling students to
deepen their understanding of classroom learning (knowledge and skills), apply that learning in
various settings, and explore education and career/life options. All students should have access to
experiential learning opportunities. For some students, additional planning will be necessary in
order to address special circumstances or safety needs.

Opportunities for Elementary and Secondary School Students

In both elementary and secondary schools, community-connected experiential learning
opportunities of short or medium duration may include activities and experiences such as: field
studies; field trips; project-based, inquiry-based, or problem-based learning; service learning;
learning in the out of doors; job shadowing or job twinning; and work experience. These activities
and experiences are described in the following paragraphs. It is essential that each experiential
learning opportunity enable the student to engage fully in the experiential learning cycle –
participate, reflect, and apply (see Figure 1).
Field study is an experiential learning opportunity involving exploration of the outdoors or other
environments or organizations. The experience can be open-ended – students might investigate
similarities and differences between local environments – or it can be organized for a specific
purpose – for instance, to investigate garbage build-up with the intention of developing an action
plan to address the problem. Field study is described in the elementary social studies, history, and
geography curriculum as an opportunity for hands-on learning in the out of doors, which "provides
an abundance of resources and materials that can support learning" (The Ontario Curriculum:
Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6; History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8, 2013, p. 36).
Field studies may be tied to various curricula at both the elementary and secondary level.
Connections to support learning through field study can be made with various community partners,
including but not limited to city or town councils, economic development planners, national parks,
hospitals, environmental partners, and non-profit community agencies.

 Grade 4 and 5 students from the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario furthered
their learning in science and technology by conducting environmental inquiries into habitats,
life systems, and the impact of stewardship and human activity on the environment at the
local Cooper Marsh Conservation Area and Visitors Centre. The experience allowed students
to think about questions related to the four areas of learning in the education and career/life
planning program, such as "What opportunities have I discovered through this experience
that captured my interest and that I might like to get involved in?" and "How does what I
have learned add to my plan for achieving my goals?" Students recorded their thinking and
learning in their "All About Me" portfolio.
 Students in Grade 7 in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic
District School Board engaged in a three-day experiential learning program called "Disaster
Assessment" at the local Ganaraska Forest Outdoor Education Centre. This scenario-based
program required students to act as search-and-rescue workers dealing with the outcomes
of a simulated natural disaster relevant to their local environment – the flooding of the
Ganaraska River. Students with special education needs who participated in the program
were provided with the accommodations outlined in their Individual Education Plan. In
addition to learning related to curriculum expectations in geography, science and
technology, mathematics, and physical education, students had a valuable opportunity to
practise teamwork and collaboration skills. Students were also exposed to a new career –
 that of "water technician" – and were able to incorporate what they learned about it in their
Individual Pathways Plan.
In addition to field study, field trips offer multiple and varied opportunities for community-
connected experiential learning related to the various subjects and disciplines in the Ontario
curriculum. Museums, heritage sites, conservation lands, community gardens, and various
businesses, organizations, and non-profit agencies provide rich learning environments for field trips
and for the exploration of the community and its resources.
A promising model of learning identified in Achieving Excellence is project-based learning.
According to Dr. David Hutchison, although "there is no one agreed-upon definition of [project-
based learning], the following definition incorporates several of the key principles that define [it] in
the literature: Project-based learning empowers learners to collaborate in teams, mentored by their
teachers, as they research real-world questions, pose solutions to real-world problems, and design
real-world products in a rigorous way" (Hutchison, 2015, p. 2). Community-connected project-
based learning gives students the opportunity to engage actively with local, national, or
international community partners, who act as mentors and share their expertise in response to
students' questions and proposed solutions.
Similar to project-based learning is problem-based learning, which focuses learners on solving
problems in a real-life context, encouraging them to consider the context and/or the situation in
which the problem exists. Key features of problem-based learning include the use of the following:
a real-life problem as the organizing focus, a student-centred approach, and collaborative small-
group work, with the teacher acting as a facilitator (Nasir, Hand, & Taylor, 2008; Barrows, 1996).

 Grade 6 students from the Kenora Catholic District School Board engaged in the project of
designing and creating learning pods/nooks that would be integrated into the beauty of their
northwestern Ontario surroundings. In partnership with a local carpenter, artists, and
environmental advisers, and through global connections, students conducted research and
designed the learning pods. The students' research involved consultation via Skype with
students at a school in England who had transformed an old doubledecker bus into a library.

 As part of their school's enrichment program, Grade 7 and 8 students from the Limestone
District School Board conducted inquiries into current local issues that reflected their own
interests and involved learning related to the curriculum areas of language, math, science
and technology, health and physical education, and geography. In partnership with South
Frontenac Community Services and a variety of other local community organizations,
students worked to improve food security in their area. Under the guidance and mentorship
of a professional market gardener, students grew seedlings, transferred them to the
greenhouse and garden for further study, and processed the produce for the local food bank
and community centre.

 Kindergarten children in a French Immersion program in the Rainbow District School Board
worked with faculty and students from the Laurentian University School of Architecture on
designing pavilions. This learning supports the expectations in the Kindergarten program
that focus on developing children's awareness of the natural and built environment through:
making observations, asking questions, and making their learning visible; conducting simple
investigations; and using inquiry and problemsolving skills. The children developed skills in
critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and innovation as they worked together to develop
original ideas for pavilion designs. Throughout the process, the children's learning was
recorded in their "All About Me" portfolios using photographs, drawings, and transcribed
reflections.
An inquiry-based approach "places students' questions, ideas, and observations at the centre of
the learning experience . . . For students, the process often involves open-ended investigations into
a question or a problem, requiring them to engage in evidence-based reasoning and creative
problem solving" (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013b, p. 2).
Service learning provides the opportunity for students to participate in experiential learning with
a focus on service in the community. In this approach, students focus on an authentic need within
a community, which may be local, national, or global in scope, and seek to provide a service, such
as researching, developing, and/or implementing solutions to address that need. Service-learning
experiences, developed in partnership with a community, are intended to benefit both the provider
and the recipient of the service (Furco, 2010, p. 229). "The research on . . . service learning
suggests that it can enhance students' academic, civic, personal, social, ethical, and career
development" (p. 235).
Outdoor education provides a rich opportunity for community-connected experiential learning
and contributes to the ministry's goal of reaching every student by providing a range of options
tailored to students' individual strengths, goals, and interests. Each year, funding is provided to
school boards to provide learning activities with community partners to support outdoor education.
Job shadowing and job twinning provide short-term opportunities for students to observe a
worker at a place of employment, or a cooperative education student at a placement, respectively.
An annual example of job shadowing is Take Our Kids to WorkTM, when Grade 9 students are able
to accompany parents, friends, relatives, or volunteers to their workplace.
Work experience or virtual work experience is a planned learning opportunity within any
course that provides students with a short- to medium-term experience at a work placement,
either on site or through an electronic or web-based connection.

 The Algoma District School Board organized a local youth empowerment event called
"YouTheSoo", which was inspired by "Me to We". A key purpose of this one-day celebration
and motivational event was to acknowledge the service that youth provide to the
community. Students in Grades 7 to 11 prepared for the event by researching local and
global community-improvement opportunities and causes. Powerful speakers, including Craig
Kielburger and Spencer West, challenged students to take on one local cause and one global
cause. Curriculum expectations from various subject areas, including expectations related to
awareness of social issues and to presentation skills, were reinforced. Student learning
gained through the students' research, and their commitment to a local/global cause was
consolidated in the students' Individual Pathways Plan.

 In the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, Grade 11 and 12 students in

communications technology courses prepared televised programs and broadcast them in
collaboration with a local television production company. Depending on the specific content
of the show, students from various discipline areas (e.g., science, technology, literature,
history) contributed to the research and the preparation of interviews with guests from the
community. Episodes highlighted people and events from the local francophone community.
The students' involvement promoted the francophone culture and helped strengthen
students' awareness of its local presence.

Opportunities for Secondary School Students

In addition to the opportunities described above, students in secondary schools may participate in
or extend their community-connected experiential learning activities into longer-term opportunities
for credit through the cooperative education program (see section 2.3.2.1) or the new stand-alone
cooperative education course (see section 2.3.2.2) (in development), both of which incorporate the
cooperative education model of learning. These credit-earning opportunities may follow a
traditional workplace model or a student-constructed model that allows students to pursue
experiences related to other types of career/life goals, such as: community, international, athletic,
or artistic development; innovation; and entrepreneurship. They may also support students in
developing knowledge and skills that will better prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.
Cooperative education programs and the stand-alone cooperative education course may be part of
specialized programs such as the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and the Specialist
High Skills Major (SHSM) program, which enable students to further their career goals while
earning credits to graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (see the Glossary for
additional details).
Cooperative education programs may also be developed for students in alternative education
courses (K-courses) and other courses that have no credit value. In these cases, the programs are
not eligible for credit.

2.3.1 Key Components

Community-connected experiential learning opportunities linked to the curriculum have four key
components that are designed to reflect the experiential learning cycle and that require varying
degrees of involvement by students, educators, community partners, and parents. These
components provide direction to the educators implementing and monitoring the delivery of
community-connected experiential learning opportunities, guidelines related to the conditions
required for learning, and protocols for the assessment and evaluation of students' learning and the
students' demonstration and application of their learning.

Component 1: Planning the Experiential Learning Opportunity

Planning an opportunity that focuses on the identified learning goals includes:

 establishing the terms and conditions of the community connection;

 establishing the learning goals, co-constructing success criteria with all partners, and
communicating the requirements for the assessment and evaluation process;

 ensuring that the experiential learning opportunity provides for the health and safety of the
student, is appropriate to the student's age and stage of development (including meeting
minimum age requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act), and is tailored to
the student's educational interests and individual needs;

 identifying potential challenges and ensuring that any necessary supports are available;

 communicating with parents and obtaining permission and informed consent, as required.

Component 2: Preparing for the Experiential Learning

Opportunity
Preparing students for the opportunity includes ensuring that:

 all students are aware of health and safety requirements, including their own and others' roles
and responsibilities, and have completed training required for all Ontario workers;

 students have the knowledge and skills required to benefit from the experiential learning
opportunity (e.g., in relation to the expectations of community partners and communication
protocols);

 students have an understanding of the experiential learning cycle and effective strategies for
reflection;

 students have the appropriate resources to participate in the opportunity (e.g., schedules,
transportation, equipment, accommodations);

 all administrative requirements related to ministry, board, and school policies and procedures
have been met.

Component 3: Supporting Student Learning during the

Experiential Learning Opportunity
Supporting student learning during the opportunity includes:
 ensuring that the opportunity continues to be healthy, safe, and appropriate to the age,
educational interests, and needs of students;

 monitoring progress and assessing and evaluating achievement of the learning goals;

 ensuring that students are reflecting on and documenting evidence of their learning;

 adjusting the learning goals and/or success criteria and providing additional support, as
required.

Component 4: Consolidating Student Learning from the

Experiential Learning Opportunity
Consolidating student learning after the opportunity includes:

 ensuring that students:

o identify and/or demonstrate what has been learned as a result of the experience;

o identify how they have applied, or are likely to apply, their learning to make decisions or
take action in various aspects of their lives;

o document their learning in their "All About Me" portfolio or Individual Pathways Plan;

 recognizing and reporting on student learning, as appropriate.

Policies and procedures related to community-connected experiential learning opportunities,
including short- and medium-term opportunities and cooperative education, in their broader and
deeper role, will be outlined in a future edition of this document, which will supersede Cooperative
Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2000).

2.3.2 Cooperative Education: Community-Connected

Experiential Learning Linked to the Curriculum and Eligible
for Credit
In secondary schools, students are able to earn cooperative education credits through longer-term
curriculum-linked experiential learning opportunities that are connected to a community and
typically (though not invariably) based in the community. The basis of all cooperative education
programs and of the stand-alone cooperative education course is a partnership between a student,
a teacher, and a community partner. Cooperative education allows students to apply and extend
their classroom learning in a community or workplace setting and learn more about themselves and
the opportunities available to them as they plan their pathways through secondary school to their
initial postsecondary destination (apprenticeship training, college, community living, university, or
the workplace).

In order to reflect the changing nature of work, research on effective student learning in the 21st
century, and the importance of meeting the needs of all learners, schools are required to expand
their cooperative education opportunities to include:

 an emphasis on a student-directed/co-constructed approach to learning, including:

o supporting students in developing and implementing solutions to important community

issues (e.g., service learning);

o supporting students in creating and implementing innovative ideas (e.g., entrepreneurship);

 increased opportunities for students in applied or college pathway courses;

 expansion of skilled trades opportunities (through OYAP);

 increased attention to opportunities for students with special education needs;

 greater consideration of the unique needs of adult learners;

 provision of opportunities for students to connect to the community through technology as part
of an e-cooperative education ("e-co-op") program; and

 expansion beyond the local community to include national or international connections.

The final policy document will include sections outlining policy and procedures related to the
cooperative education program and the new stand-alone cooperative education course. These
sections will provide additional details and examples relating to the requirements and
implementation of this expanded vision for cooperative education in Ontario secondary schools.

In planning experiential learning opportunities, educators must ensure that all administrative
requirements related to ministry, board, and school policies and procedures are met.

2.3.2.1 The Cooperative Education Program Enhanced

Cooperative education allows students to earn secondary school credits while completing an
experiential learning opportunity connected to a community. A cooperative education program (no
longer referred to as a "course") will include a classroom component and a community component,
and will continue to be recorded in the provincial report card using a course code that reflects the
"related course". The related course may be a course from anyOntario curriculum policy document
or a ministry-approved locally developed course in which the student is currently enrolled or which
he or she has successfully completed. Students apply and further develop the knowledge and skills
described in the expectations from the related course through their experiential learning
opportunity.
2.3.2.2 The Stand-Alone Cooperative Education Course New

The new stand-alone cooperative education course will allow students to earn up to two secondary
school credits while completing an experiential learning opportunity connected to a community.
Unlike the current cooperative education program, in which students are required to apply and
extend the expectations of a related course, in the standalone course, students will apply and
extend the curriculum expectations of this new course. The course will include a 55-hour classroom
component based on expectations that outline the knowledge and skills students will need to be
successful in their community-connected experiential learning opportunity and in their lives beyond
school. Students will demonstrate their learning during the classroom component and further
develop their knowledge and skills through their community-connected learning experience(s). This
stand-alone course will meet the needs of all students, particularly those without an appropriate
related course.

The expectations for the new stand-alone cooperative education course will be made available on
the ministry website. The final policy document on community-connected experiential learning will
set out details regarding related policy and procedures.

2.4 Community-Connected Experiential Learning beyond the

Curriculum New
In addition to the rich community-connected experiential learning opportunities linked to the
curriculum that are outlined in section 2.3, students of all ages engage in significant formal and
informal community-connected learning involving content that is not part of the Ontario curriculum.
This may consist of a variety of learning opportunities, including but not limited to artistic, athletic,
cultural, heritage, scientific, or community-building activities that take place in a local or global
community.

As outlined in Creating Pathways to Success, section 5.3, "Education and Career/Life Planning
through Activities in the Community" (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013a), students and their
parents should be encouraged to reflect on the importance of activities in the community to
students' development of knowledge and skills related to education and career/life planning.
In elementary and secondary schools, the insights gained in this way can assist teachers in
developing student profiles and/or class profiles, as described in Learning for All: A Guide to
Effective Assessment and Instruction for All Students, Kindergarten to Grade 12 (Ontario Ministry
of Education, 2013c). Significant community-connected learning beyond the curriculum is also
recognized and valued, informally, through references to these activities in a student's "All About
Me" portfolio or Individual Pathways Plan.
More formally, a classroom or school-wide recognition system granting badges or points might be
instituted to honour students' accomplishments in experiential learning outside the school. In
secondary schools, credits towards the OSSD might also be granted, as outlined in section 2.4.1,
below. Valuing and recognizing learning beyond the curriculum can significantly increase a
student's sense of belonging.

2.4.1 Experiential Learning Assessment and Recognition

(ELAR): Community-Connected Experiential Learning beyond
the Curriculum and Eligible for Credit
This section outlines provisions for recognizing students' demonstrated acquisition of skills and
knowledge through their involvement in a community-planned and community-supported
experience beyond their home school at the local, national, or global level. Examples might include
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit heritage activities, international exchanges, and/or volunteer
activities (not including the 40 hours of community involvement activities required to obtain the
Ontario Secondary School Diploma). Recognition for secondary school credit of community-
connected experiential learning not linked to the Ontario curriculum acknowledges that significant
learning, both formal and informal, can result from experiences that are independently pursued by
students.

Provisions are being introduced to make it possible for students to earn experiential learning
credits through a formal evaluation and accreditation process known as Experiential Learning
Assessment and Recognition (ELAR).5These provisions will enable students enrolled in Ontario
secondary schools to earn credit for the skills and knowledge articulated in their ELAR learning plan
and demonstrated through their ELAR culminating activity. Students' demonstration of learning will
be evaluated in order for the students to be granted secondary school optional credits. Through the
ELAR process, students may earn a maximum of two Grade 11 Experiential Learning optional
credits towards their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). As in the cooperative education
model, a teacher will mentor the student and provide support throughout the experience, and will
also assess and evaluate the student's learning. ELAR procedures will be carried out under the
direction of the school principal, who will grant the credits. Some students may require additional
support in order to take advantage of this opportunity.
The ELAR process involves three components: pre-approval, participation, and recognition. The
involvement of a teacher responsible for experiential learning is an integral part of all three
components. The process is designed to reflect and demonstrate the experiential learning cycle. To
receive recognition for their community-based experiential learning activity, students must have
entered into an agreement with their school or board prior to participating in the opportunity. In
the agreement, the school or board will indicate the timeline for recognition of the opportunity, the
learning goals and criteria for assessment and evaluation of the learning, and the number of
experiential learning credits to be granted upon successful completion. The pre-approval
component will align with the school's course selection process for the following school year.

All schools and boards will be required to establish and communicate policies and procedures in
compliance with ministry policy to implement the recognition of formal and informal experiential
learning beyond the curriculum. An upcoming policy/program memorandum, to be titled
"Experiential Learning Assessment and Recognition (ELAR): Implementation in Ontario Secondary
Schools", will outline in detail the policy and requirements that apply to regular day school
students.

2.4.1.1 The ELAR Process

Three required components under ELAR will ensure that the process duly addresses student
learning, student demonstration and application of learning, and requirements governing
recognition of the learning.

Component 1: Pre-approval
As part of the course-selection process for the following school year, students are required to
submit, prior to the learning opportunity, a detailed proposal for recognition of their experiential
learning to a teacher designated as responsible for experiential learning. This proposal will outline:

 the location and duration of the learning opportunity;

 the community connection/sponsor;

 anticipated roles, activities, and specific tasks to be performed;

 potential challenges, possible solutions, and resources;

 learning goals (including academic, social, and education and career/life planning goals); and

 health and safety requirements.

The proposal will be reviewed by the teacher, and a meeting will be arranged with the student and
the student's parent (if the student is under 18) to develop an ELAR learning plan and an ELAR
agreement that together will identify the following:

 learning goals and success criteria (including an understanding of the experiential learning cycle
and effective strategies for reflection)

 the tools, such as the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP), the provincial report card, and the
Individual Pathways Plan (IPP), that will enable students to track and reflect on their learning,
including but not limited to the OSP Essential Skills, 21st century competencies, the learning
skills and work habits, and knowledge and skills related to the education and career/life
planning program

 tools and processes (e.g., rubrics) for evaluating student learning based on the student's ELAR
learning plan

 health and safety requirements

 communication and protocol requirements

 a timeline for recognition of the opportunity and the credit(s) to be granted upon successful
completion, and

 evidence that all administrative requirements related to ministry, board, and school policies and
procedures have been met.

Component 2: Participation
As outlined in the schedule and required protocols described in their ELAR agreement and the
learning goals and evaluation strategies set out in the ELAR learning plan, students (with the
support of the teacher, as needed) will:

 participate in the experience, making adjustments to support their learning as required and
using a variety of tools and processes to track their learning;

 reflect on their experiences in order to identify their learning;

 apply their learning and gather artefacts as evidence of their learning;

 fulfil all communication and policy and procedural requirements at their school.

Component 3: Recognition
Following the experiential learning opportunity, students will demonstrate their learning to their
teacher in the manner outlined in the approved ELAR learning plan. The demonstration will show
evidence of the learning based on the experiential learning cycle, as follows:

 Participate – Evidence of Student Participation

The evidence that students will provide of having successfully completed the learning activities
described in the ELAR learning plan will include:

o artefacts depicting roles, activities, and specific tasks performed (e.g., performance
appraisals, letters of reference, credentials, videos);

o evidence of how the anticipated and unanticipated challenges were addressed.

 Reflect – Evidence of Student Learning

The evidence of learning that students provide will include:

o demonstrations of ongoing reflection on their formal (planned) and informal (incidental)

learning (e.g., journals, blogs, videos);

o demonstrations of their formal (planned) and informal (incidental) learning (e.g., skills
inventories, OSP Work Plan, performance appraisals, letters of reference, digital recordings,
credentials).

 Apply – Evidence of Student Application of Learning

The evidence of the students' application of their learning, to be shared in their Individual
Pathways Plan (IPP), will include:

o a description of how the learning has influenced their thinking, decisions they have made,
and related actions they have taken or intend to take;

o a description of how the learning has informed their postsecondary transition plan and may
have influenced their goals and future actions in various aspects of their lives.
Upon completion of all the requirements as outlined in the ELAR agreement, the teacher will
determine a grade. The experiential learning credit(s) earned and the student's grade will be
recorded on the Ontario Student Transcript (OST).

Contents

Appendix: Characteristics of Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is:

 knowledge- and skill-based: learning activities focus on helping students to deepen their
understanding of both curriculum-based and non–curriculum-based learning and to acquire
knowledge and skills related to education and career/life planning;
 community-connected: experiential learning opportunities have an authentic and meaningful
connection to a community that may be local, national, or global, and either physical or virtual
or a combination of the two;
 inquiry-based: learning activities place students' questions, ideas, and observations at the
centre of the learning experience;
 based on a three-stage cycle (participate, reflect, apply): the cycle is not rigidly
sequential; rather, it is a dynamic and highly personal learning process;
 developmentally appropriate: learning activities are appropriate to the interests, strengths,
needs, and aspirations of the students at each stage of their development;
 student-directed/co-constructed: students have a significant role in the design of their
learning opportunities, in collaboration with teachers and community mentors;
 differentiated: learning activities are personalized to meet students' particular learning and
motivational needs and strengths;
 assessed and evaluated in relation to identified learning goals and success
criteria: experiential learning opportunities include structures to assess and, where
appropriate, evaluate and report on student achievement, based on the learning goals and
success criteria outlined in the student's learning plan;
 inclusive: the learning activities are designed to engage all students, in accordance with
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.
Glossary
"All About Me" portfolio. A record of learning compiled by students in Kindergarten to Grade 6
as they explore and participate in experiences that support them in education and career/life
planning.
assessment as learning. A process of developing and supporting student metacognition.
Students are actively engaged in this assessment process: that is, they monitor their own learning,
and use assessment feedback from teachers and peers, along with their own assessments, to
determine next steps and set individual learning goals. Assessment as learning requires students to
have a clear understanding of learning goals and success criteria. See
also assessment for learning.
assessment for learning. The ongoing process of gathering and interpreting evidence about
student learning for the purpose of determining where students are in their learning, where they
need to go, and how best to get there. The information gathered is used by teachers to provide
feedback and adjust instruction, and by students to focus their learning. Assessment for learning
takes place while the student is learning and serves to promote learning.
community-connected experiential learning. An approach to student learning that provides
students with opportunities to actively participate in experiences connected to a community (local,
national, or global) outside the school; reflect on those experiences to derive meaning from them;
and apply their learning to their decisions and actions in various aspects of their lives.
cooperative education program. A program that allows students to earn secondary school
credits while completing an experiential learning opportunity connected to a community. In the
context of the policy framework proposed in this document, a cooperative education program
includes a classroom component and a community component. The community-connected
experiential learning opportunity enables students to apply and further develop the knowledge and
skills described in the expectations of a related course from the Ontario curriculum.
cooperative education stand-alone course. A new cooperative education course that will
include a 55-hour classroom component based on expectations that outline the knowledge and
skills students will need to be successful in their community-connected experiential learning
opportunity and in their lives beyond school. Students will demonstrate and further develop their
knowledge and skills through their community-connected learning experience(s).
descriptive feedback. A form of feedback that supports learning by providing students with
precise information about what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and what specific
steps they can take to improve.
e-cooperative education program (also known as virtual cooperative education). A program
that allows students to complete all or part of the placement component of their cooperative
education program remotely – that is, using electronic communications technology.
education and career/life planning program. A whole-school program designed to help
students achieve their personal goals and become competent, successful, and contributing
members of society. The program is delivered both through classroom instruction linked to the
curriculum and through broader school programs and activities.
Education and Career/Life Planning Program Advisory Committee. A committee that each
elementary and secondary school is required to establish to coordinate the development,
implementation, and evaluation of the school's program. The representatives who must be included
on the committee and their roles and responsibilities are outlined in the document Creating
Pathways to Success.
ELAR. See Experiential Learning Assessment and Recognition (ELAR).
evaluation. The process of judging the quality of student learning on the basis of established
criteria and assigning a value to represent that quality. Evaluation is based on assessments of
learning that provide data on student achievement at strategic times throughout the grade/
subject/course, often at the end of a period of learning.
Experiential Learning Assessment and Recognition (ELAR). A process that allows for the
recognition, for secondary school credit, of knowledge and skills students may develop through
their involvement in a planned and community-supported experience beyond their home school
and outside the Ontario curriculum. The experience may be at the local, national, or global level.
The ELAR process acknowledges that significant learning, both formal and informal, can result from
experiences that are independently pursued by students.
 ELAR agreement. An agreement between a student and the student's school or board jointly
developed prior to the student's participation in a for-credit experiential learning opportunity in
the community that is not linked to the curriculum. The agreement specifies the timeline for
recognition of the opportunity, the learning goals and criteria for assessment and evaluation of
the learning, and the number of experiential learning credits to be granted upon successful
completion.
 ELAR learning plan. A plan that outlines the learning goals for a community-based
experiential learning opportunity not linked to the curriculum, the knowledge and skills to be
assessed and evaluated, and the assessment and evaluation strategies to be used in granting
credit(s) to students upon their successful completion of the opportunity. The ELAR learning
plan is developed jointly by the teacher, the student, and the student's parent (if the student is
under 18).
experiential learning cycle. In the context of the proposed policy framework, a three-stage
learning process that requires students to:
1. actively participate in community-connected learning experiences;
2. reflect on those experiences to derive meaning from them; and
3. apply their learning in various aspects of their lives.
Although the cycle comprises these three necessary components, it is not a rigid or strictly
sequential process but rather a dynamic and highly personal one.

field study. An experiential learning opportunity involving exploration of the outdoors or other
environments or organizations. The opportunity may be open-ended – students might investigate
similarities and differences between local environments – or it can be organized for a specific
purpose.
field trip. An excursion by a class or group of students beyond the school environment. The
purpose of the trip is usually observation for educational purposes or to provide students with
experiences outside their everyday activities.
Individual Pathways Plan (IPP). A web-based record of learning maintained by students,
starting in Grade 7 and building on their K–6 "All About Me" portfolio. The IPP provides the
structure for students to document evidence of their ongoing inquiry and development in the four
areas of learning as outlined in the education and career/life planning program.
inquiry-based learning. An approach to teaching and learning that places students' questions,
ideas, and observations at the centre of the learning experience.
job shadowing. In the context of the proposed policy framework, a one-on-one observation of an
individual at a community placement. job twinning. In the context of the proposed policy
framework, a one-on-one observation of a cooperative education student at his or her community
placement.
learning goals. Brief statements that describe for a student what he or she should know and be
able to do by the end of a period of instruction (e.g., a lesson, series of lessons, or subtask) or by
the end of an experiential learning opportunity. The goals represent subsets or clusters of
knowledge and skills that the student must master to successfully achieve the overall curriculum
expectations. In the context of experiential learning opportunities not linked to the curriculum, the
learning goals, recorded in the ELAR learning plan, are descriptions of the learning that will be
evaluated on completion of the experience.
metacognition. The process of thinking about one's own thought processes. Metacognitive skills
include the ability to monitor one's own learning.
Ontario Skills Passport (OSP). A web-based resource that provides clear descriptions of the
"Essential Skills" and "work habits" that are important for work, learning, and life. The Essential
Skills are used in virtually all occupations and are transferable from school to work, job to job, and
sector to sector. The OSP is designed to help students, teachers, and employers assess and record
the demonstration of these skills and work habits by students and job seekers.
Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). A specialized program that enables students
who are 16 years of age or older to meet diploma requirements while participating in a cooperative
education program in the context of an apprenticeship occupation.
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR). A formal evaluation and accreditation
process where students may have their skills and knowledge evaluated against the overall
expectations of a course or courses outlined in a provincial curriculum policy document in order to
earn credit(s) towards the secondary school diploma without taking the course or courses in an
Ontario school. Students' credentials from other jurisdictions may also be assessed for the purpose
of granting credits.
problem-based learning. An approach to teaching and learning that focuses learners on solving
problems within a real-life context, encouraging them to consider the situation in which the
problem exists when trying to find solutions. Key features of problem-based learning include the
use of collaborative small-group work, a student-centred approach, the teacher as facilitator, and
the use of real-life problems as the organizing focus. (Adapted from Barrows, 1996; Nasir, Hand, &
Taylor, 2008)
project-based learning. An approach to teaching and learning that empowers learners to
collaborate in teams, mentored by their teachers, as they research real-world questions, pose
solutions to real-world problems, and design real-world products in a rigorous way. (Adapted from
Hutchison, 2014)
School Effectiveness Framework (SEF). A self-assessment tool designed to help educators
build coherence and align practices across the whole school. The framework is outlined in the
ministry document The K–12 School Effectiveness Framework (2013): A Support for School
Improvement and Student Success. The framework identifies evidence-based indicators of
successful practice in a number of components of effective schools. The indicators, with samples of
evidence, help educators determine the effectiveness of their practices in the areas of assessment;
leadership; student engagement; curriculum delivery; pathways planning and programming; and
home, school, and community partnerships.
service learning. An experiential learning opportunity with a focus on service in the community.
Service learning is intended to benefit both the provider and the recipient of the service.
Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Program. A ministry-approved specialized program that
allows students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector while meeting the
requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The program assists students in
their transition from secondary school to apprenticeship training, college, university, or the
workplace. An SHSM enables students to gain sector-specific skills and knowledge in the context of
engaging, career-related learning environments. Every SHSM must include: a bundle of credits,
sector-recognized certifications, and/or training; experiential learning activities within the sector;
"reach ahead" experiences connected with the student's chosen postsecondary pathway; and
development of Essential Skills and work habits as described in the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP).
success criteria. Specific descriptions of what the successful attainment of learning goals "looks
like". The descriptions are developed by teachers on the basis of criteria in the achievement chart
and are discussed and agreed upon in collaboration with students. The criteria provide guidance to
the teacher and student in gathering information about the quality of the student's learning and are
used to determine to what degree a learning goal has been achieved.
virtual work experience. A planned learning opportunity, within any credit course, that provides
students with a short- to medium-term experience at a work placement. Virtual work experience is
facilitated through the use of communications technology at the school.
work experience. A planned learning opportunity, within any credit course, that provides
students with a short- to medium-term experience at a work placement.
References
Barrows, H.S. (1996). Problem-based learning in medicine and beyond: A brief overview. New
Directions for Teaching and Learning, (68), 3–12.
Canadian Council on Learning. (2008). Lessons in learning: The benefits of experiential
learning. Ottawa: Author.
Canadian Council on Learning. (2009). The impact of experiential learning programs on student
success. Ottawa: Author.
Chapman, S., McPhee, P., & Proudman, B. (1995). What is experiential education? In K. Warren
(Ed.), The theory of experiential education: A collection of articles addressing the historical,
philosophical, social and psychological foundations of experiential education. Dubuque, IA:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Eyler, J. (Fall 2009). The power of experiential learning. Liberal Education, 95(4), 24–31.
Fullan, M., & Langworthy, M. (2014). A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning.
London: Pearson.
Furco, A. (2010). The community as a resource for learning: An analysis of academic service-
learning in primary and secondary education. In H. Dumont, D. Istance, & F. Benavides (Eds.), The
nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice (pp. 227–49). Paris: OECD.
Furman, N., & Sibthorp, J. (2013). Leveraging experiential learning techniques for transfer. New
Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 137, 17–25.
Gazley, B., Bennett, T., & Littlepage, L. (2013). Achieving the partnership principle in experiential
learning: The nonprofit perspective. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 19(3), 559–79.
Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. London: Oxford
Brookes University, Further Education Unit. Retrieved on September 23, 2015.
Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (1998). What's worth fighting for out there. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Houle, C. (1980). Continuing learning in the professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Hutchison, D. (2014, August). Digital humanities in teaching: Leveraging best practices in project-
based learning and project management. Paper presented at the digital Pedagogy Institute
Conference, Toronto, ON.

Hutchison, D. (2015, September). Project-based learning: Drawing on best practices in project

management. What Works? Research into Practice. Research Monograph 60. Student Achievement
Division, Ontario Ministry of Education.
Keith, N.Z. (1999). Whose community schools? New discourses, old patterns. Theory into Practice,
38(4), 225–34.
Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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Caffarella (Eds.), Experiential learning: A new approach, pp. 5–16. No. 62 of R.G. Brockett & A.B.
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learning: Policies and procedures for Ontario secondary schools. Toronto: Author.
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1. Ontario's renewed vision for education and plan of action, as outlined in Achieving Excellence,
commits the ministry to defining higher-order skills for the 21st century and developing measures
for assessing them.
2. The learning cycle and the associated questions discussed in this section are based on Rolfe,
Freshwater, & Jasper, 2001.

3. In this document, the word parents is used to refer to parent(s) and guardian(s). It may also be
taken to include caregivers or close family members who are responsible for raising the child.

4. See the Glossary for a description of these programs.

5. Note that ELAR differs from PLAR, which is a process for the granting of credits for prior learning
based on the Ontario curriculum. See "Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)" in
the Glossary.

Experiential Learning

Learning beyond the classroom

Today's students need learning that goes beyond the classroom. School-work programs expand
students' learning by helping them:

 understand more about the industries they may want to pursue in the future

 get exposed to career options in industries they may not have known about or even considered

 develop essential workplace skills

 see how their in-class learning can be applied in the workplace

 make more informed decisions about their education and career path so they make a successful
transition into the job market.
Giving students the chance to explore different career options and build their skills will help them
prepare for the jobs of tomorrow.

How students can learn beyond the classroom

Students can learn about the world of work by exploring different careers and industries through:

 workplace tours

 job shadowing

 mentoring

 cooperative education
 school-work transitions

 Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.

How learning in the workplace helps employers

Providing high school students with learning opportunities in their workplace gives employers an
affordable way to recruit, train and retain young workers.

Information for employers about school-work experiences

Employers can offer short, medium and long-term work experience opportunities to high school
students. This helps generate awareness about their organization and career opportunities.
Employers who are thinking about school-work programs should think about what works best for
their organization, e.g., how many students they can accept, how much time and training they can
offer, etc.

Short-term experience:
A short-term work experience works well for employers who want to reach students but do not
have a student-friendly work environment.
 Time commitment: an hour or up to one day.

 Resources: an employee (s) dedicated to a one-day event.

 Examples: workplace tours and classroom visits, where an employer can talk to students.
Medium-term experience:
A medium-term work experience can give students hands-on learning. It works well for employers
who have a student-friendly environment but can't involve them in actual job functions.
 Time commitment: one day to several weeks.

 Resources: an employee dedicated to act as a mentor by spending time one-on-one with

students for a specific period of time.

 Examples: a short-term work placement that offers students hands-on experience as part of a
high school credit course, or job shadowing where a student is paired with an employee or co-
op student to observe the workplace.
Long-term experience:
A long-term work experience can help students learn a specific skill set or trade so they have the
training/work experience to pursue a job in the organization or industry. It works well for
employers who can place students in actual jobs. Student placements are done in September or
February.
 Time commitment: several months to a year or more.

 Resources: training and supervising a student to do a job function within the organization.

 Examples: can include an unpaid placement which lets students earn secondary school credits
while applying classroom learning and exploring career interests.
Learn about the different types of School-Work Opportunities
The School-Work Opportunities Chart explains more about short, medium and long-term work
experiences.
School-Work Opportunities Chart (PDF, 227 KB)

Employers who want to learn more school work programs can

contact SSL18.strategicpolicy@ontario.ca.

Read how school-work programs can give students essential workplace skills in Advantage Ontario,
the report from Ontario's Jobs and Prosperity Council.
Consultations: The Future of Experiential Learning in Ontario (Winter 2016)